How it works
Coordinators, who are volunteers, are the key. Each one of them finds five or six families or couples in their community. The coordinators meet together and work in pairs to match their families/couples. Each participant is given simple guidelines, basic principles and useful questions to help on their first visit. The whole process occurs three times in a year. For example a Church of England family may receive and visit a Jewish, a Muslim and a Quaker family. A simple evaluation is made by the coordinator keeping in touch. At the end of the year there may be a celebration.
See a video of Maretta talking about getting involved: press the play button below
Guidelines
Statement of Principles
- Bridgemakers value friendship and hospitality.
- Bridgemakers enjoy diversity.
- Bridgemakers respect each other.
- Bridgemakers are willing to learn about themselves and others.
- Bridgemakers believe that each of us makes a difference.
What members do
- Within one year invite for a simple meal three families/couples from different communities and make three return visits.
- Get to know members of three different communities, sharing what we have in common in everyday life.
- Look for ways to celebrate each other.
- Keep things simple.
- Every four months have a meeting with the volunteer coordinator for a debriefing and evaluation
- Try to avoid cultural slip-ups.
- Before beginning the refreshment, express thanks in an appropriate manner.
- Share what inspires us in life and how we go about making this a part of our lives.
What members don’t do
- Promote their own beliefs.
- Seek to impress with expensive meal or display of possessions.
- Criticise views and opinions different from our own.
Some useful questions to get started
- How did you become a Bridgemaker?
- What’s it like to belong to your community in Oxford?
- Have you belonged all your life to this community?
- Tell us about your spiritual journey.
- How would a person new to Oxford find out about your community?
- How does your faith affect your daily life?
